Comedy: “Struck a Nerve: The Pop Culture Mixtape” more than just laughs

Local standup comic Dustin Meadows is a pop-culture aficionado of the highest order, and decided he should put his knowledge on the subject together with his comedy skills for an event. “Struck a Nerve: The Pop Culture Mixtape” is a nontraditional comedy showcase that premiered in January and will be recurring the third Monday each month.

The main goal Meadows wanted for himself, and his standup peers, was to move away from writing the traditional setup/punchline format they’d become accustomed with.

“The idea is you can do anything but standup,” Meadows said during an interview at his North Campus home. “Last month, I did a couple mini-essay responses to Shia Lebouf, [“Duck Dynasty’s”] Phil Robertson and Buzzfeed because that [theme] was the 2013 Year in Review.”

But don’t expect “Struck a Nerve” to be all serious. Laughs will be had.

“For the most part, it’ll be funny. The way I introduced it last month was that it’s a way for me to be funny in a different way, but also … doing these deep cultural examinations of certain things.”

The cultural dive for Monday’s show is Batman, since this year is the 75th anniversary of the Dark Knight. But don’t think you have to be an expert to enjoy these shows; accessibility is the key.

“We’re not going to make it a bunch of in-jokes, [instead] break it down in a way [where anyone] will relate to the core concepts of what we’re talking about,” he said.

Meadows didn’t want to give away everything you’ll see at Monday’s show, but he said there’ll be a character sketch, an essay on the effect the Caped Crusader had on a girl and artists doing commissioned pieces like at a Con event.

“Struck a Nerve” is designed to be funny, sure, but it’s also about being creative. Therefore anyone is welcome.

“The lineup is typically seven or eight, and the idea is to reach out to not just comics, but other people as well,” Meadows said referring to attracting an audience that’s fans of both comedy and pop culture.